How to Watch San Diego Padres Games Live Without Cable

MLB Opening Day 2023 is just days away on March 30, and all 30 teams are playing! The Padres will be playing the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park at 4:10 pm — watch it on MLB.TV.

If you are a Padres fan who wants to watch almost all games of the regular season, you have options depending on where you live. Read on to learn everything.

The San Diego Padres and their star players, such as Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado, are looking for a breakthrough season to get America’s Finest City excited about baseball once again.

They did have a hint of that in 2020, but that is still the team’s lone winning record since 2010 and only playoff appearance since 2006. However, San Diego’s 2021 campaign was promising for much of it, and the future may be bright.

Are you a fan of the Padres or simply curious about what that future holds for the franchise? If yes and you want to see them play as often as possible, you will want to secure access to Bally Sports San Diego’s game broadcasts.

This can be achieved by through either a subscription to FuboTV ($88.98/mo) or DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) for those in that channel’s broadcast area or MLB.TV ($24.99/mo) for fans who are not blacked out from Padres broadcasts because of their location.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

About the Padres

San Diego is the only metropolitan area to be home to a Major League Baseball team and no other franchises in any of the other major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS). This became the case when the NFL’s San Diego Chargers became the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017.

The Padres are also the newest of the five California-based baseball teams. This expansion franchise started play in 1969, a year after the Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland. It has only played in two stadiums in its history: Qualcomm Stadium (1969-2003) and Petco Park (2004-present).

San Diego, playing in the NL West, is also the only California-based franchise to have never won the World Series. The best seasons in Padres history, when they won National League pennants, were in 1984 and 1998. Other playoff appearances occurred in 1996, 2005, 2006, and 2020.

After the Padres impressed with a 37-23 record in 2020, hopes were high in 2021. And the team lived up to those but only for part of the season. San Diego had a 66-49 record through 115 games and were on pace for 93 wins, which would have gotten the Padres into the playoffs.

However, their stretch drive went horribly as they went 13-34 the rest of the way and finished 11 games out of the playoffs.

2022 San Diego Padres Playoff Schedule

The Padres dispatched the New York Mets in 3 games and then the Los Angeles Dodgers in 4 in the Divisional Series. They now take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series.

• Fri Oct 7 8:07 pm: San Diego Padres (7) at New York Mets (1) (ESPN)
• Sat Oct 8 7:37 pm: San Diego Padres (3) at New York Mets (7) (ESPN)
• Sun Oct 9 7:37 pm: San Diego Padres (6) at New York Mets (0) (ESPN)
• Tue Oct 11 9:37 pm: San Diego Padres (3) at Los Angles Dodgers (5) (FS1)
• Wed Oct 12 8:37 pm: San Diego Padres (5) at Los Angles Dodgers (3) (FS1)
• Fri Oct 14 8:37: Los Angles Dodgers (1) at San Diego Padres (2) (FS1)
• Sat Oct 15 9:37: Los Angles Dodgers (3) at San Diego Padres (5) (FS1)
• Sun Oct 16 9:07: San Diego Padres at Los Angles Dodgers (FS1)
• Tue Oct 18 8:03 pm: Philadelphia Phillies (2) at San Diego Padres (0) (Fox or FS1)
• Wed Oct 19 4:35 pm: Philadelphia Phillies (5) at San Diego Padres (8) (Fox or FS1)
• Fri Oct 21 7:37 pm: San Diego Padres (2) at Philadelphia Phillies (4) (FS1)
• Sat Oct 22 7:45 pm: San Diego Padres (6) at Philadelphia Phillies (10) (Fox or FS1)
• Sun Oct 23 2:37 pm: San Diego Padres (3) at Philadelphia Phillies (4) (FS1)^†
• Mon Oct 24 8:03 pm: Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres (FS1)
• Tue Oct 25 8:03 pm: Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres (Fox/FS1)

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Padres TV Channels

Bally Sports San Diego is the full-time home of the San Diego Padres. It broadcasts all games played by the club that are not shown exclusively on national or regional channels or have been selected for an online broadcast.

Prior to the 2021 season, it was announced that 153 of 162 regular-season games would be shown on this regional sports network. This year, it is 158.

For the rest of the broadcasted games, options include your local Fox, NBC, or ABC affiliates, ESPN, TBS, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), or MLB Network. Currently, 9 games will appear on national channels as well as Bally Sports and 3 will show exclusively on Fox or ESPN.

In addition, a small selection of games will be exclusively streamed by Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium. Currently, only one game is scheduled for Apple TV+.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Watching the Padres

There are many ways to watch at least some Padres games.

Antenna

When the Padres are being shown on Fox, ABC, or NBC, all that you need in order to catch the action is an antenna. Do note that appearances on Fox will be a lot more likely than ones on ABC or NBC. Also keep in mind that if the Padres return to the World Series, those games will be on Fox. Currently, two games are scheduled to appear on Fox.

For more information about using an antenna, see our guide.

Streaming The Padres

It is only via streaming that you can watch every Padres game this season.

FuboTV

FuboTV offers a 130+ channel base plan that includes Bally Sports in all the areas that the channels are provided. For those in the San Diego area, that means Bally Sports West and Bally Sports San Diego. You get all this for $88.98/mo.

It also provides a ton of sports channels including CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, and the networks beIN Sports and TUDN. It also comes with all the local channels and a large selection of general “cable” channels.

All FuboTV plans come with 1,000 hours of cloud DVR as well as the ability to stream on up to 10 devices at the same time. See our FuboTV review for details.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) provides the lone option for cord-cutters looking to watch Bally Sports San Diego and its Padres broadcasts. However, note that you need to be located in its broadcast area to get this channel through this streaming service‘s Choice plan ($99.99/mo).

It is available in San Diego and points to the east, including California’s San Diego and Imperial Counties and southern Arizona’s Yuma and Tucson, and Las Vegas. It is also available in Hawaii. Subscribers may also watch Fox, ABC, NBC, ESPN, TBS, FS1, and MLB Network.

All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR (online sign-up) and simultaneous streaming on unlimited devices. See our DIRECTV STREAM review for more information.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days

Other LiveTV Sreaming services

If you are not located in a place that is eligible to receive Bally Sports San Diego or do not mind not having that channel, then your streaming service options open up. Other ones to consider include Hulu + Live TV ($69.99/mo), Sling TV ($55.00/mo), Vidgo ($69.99/mo), and YouTube TV ($72.99/mo).

Check out Nick Martinez pitching for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic all March on Sling TV for just $20!

Specialty Streaming Services

Increasingly, MLB games appear live on streaming-only services.

• Apple TV+ ($4.99/mo): Exclusively streaming two MLB games every Friday, and those will periodically feature the Padres. The club’s first appearance on Apple TV+ was set for May 13, 2022, an away game versus the Atlanta Braves.
• Peacock Premium ($4.99/mo): Also exclusively streaming baseball games with its expected to be on Sundays. The Padres should be a part of those streams as well. (Peacock review)
• ESPN+ ($9.99/mo): Provides streams of Padres and other baseball games throughout the season, but keep in mind that this option is generally more advantageous for out-of-market fans due to blackout restrictions that are generally imposed. (ESPN+ review)

MLB.TV

As long as you are situated outside of the San Diego Padres’ blackout region, MLB.TV ($24.99/mo or $139.99/yr) is a solid option to consider for watching Bally Sports San Diego-broadcast games. It provides access to all out-of-market games but for slightly less ($119.99/yr), you can get a single team plan for just the Padres.

That blackout area covers the southern part of Southern California (not the LA metropolitan area) and the southern portions of Arizona and Nevada as well as Hawaii.

Everyone else will get to watch those telecasts except for when the Padres play a local team. For example, Padres-Giants broadcasts are blacked out to MLB.TV subscribers in the Bay Area.

Note that MLB.TV does provide access to exclusive nationally televised games and this includes all playoff contests. So you will normally want to combine MLB.TV with a live TV streaming service.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Devices and TVs to Live Stream Padres Games

Both MLB.TV and DIRECTV STREAM support most devices:

DIRECTV STREAM offers its own device. That can be nice because it means all your streaming is covered by a single company so there’s only one place to go when you have a problem.

MLB.TV supports devices based on the Android TV standard. It also supports Xbox One and PlayStation units.

The other streaming services offer pretty much the same support. Our streaming reviews have complete details.

Superpower Your Streaming With a VPN

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Wrapping Up

Fans who want to watch the San Diego Padres on a regular basis should, in most cases, subscribe to FuboTV ($88.98/mo) DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) if in Bally Sports San Diego’s broadcast area or MLB.TV ($24.99/mo) if outside of the club’s blackout region.

FAQs

Where can I watch tonight’s Padres game on TV?

In most cases, you can watch tonight’s game on Bally Sports San Diego as it broadcasts around 95% of the regular-season games that the team plays. Other possibilities include Fox, ABC, NBC, Fox Sports 1, ESPN, TBS, and MLB Network. Also consider that it might instead be exclusively streamed by Apple TV+ or Peacock Premium (both $4.99/mo).

How can I listen to the Padres on the radio?

If you are in or near the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area, you will want to tune into either 97.3 The Fan or La Poderosa 860 AM to listen to Padres radio broadcasts. The former features English-speaking commentators while the latter option is for those who prefer to listen to the action in Spanish. Note that all of those radio broadcasts are available online to those subscribing to MLB Radio ($2.99/mo) or MLB.TV ($24.99/mo).

Is there a way to watch Padres games for free?

Yes, there is. Those who are outside of the club’s blackout area can periodically check out the team’s contests thanks to the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day. Another option for fans who have an antenna is to view Padres games that have been selected for regional or national coverage on a network television outlet, such as Fox, ABC, or NBC.

How do I stream Padres games on my phone?

If you subscribe to FuboTV ($88.98/mo) or DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) and watch Bally Sports San Diego-produced Padres broadcasts through either the FuboTV, DIRECTV STREAM, or Bally Sports apps. Conversely, those who instead utilize MLB.TV ($24.99/mo) to watch many of those broadcasts (out-of-market fans) can do the same after downloading the MLB app.

What is the San Diego Padres 2023 schedule?

Here is the complete Padres regular-season schedule (EDT). Most games other than those on Fox and Apple TV+ should air on Bally Sports San Diego.

How do I watch teams besides San Diego?

See our guide on the team you are looking for:

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Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at Psychotronic Review — and many other places.

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